Russian Cabbage Soup & Sauerkraut Rye Bread

February?! February?! How is this possible? One month to finish a complete draft of my thesis, less than two months before I have to move (to a temporary location), a little over one month to my birthday (yay, that’s fun!) But in spite of the books and papers and everything else piling up, you can expect to see me posting regularly because, hey, what’s better than procrastination?

In my vegetable husband from almost a month ago I received a cabbage. Now, I’ve made cabbage curry before, but always with a red cabbage, and I knew that a cabbage can sit in the fridge for awhile, so I took my time figuring out what to do with it. Obviously I could go the pan-Asian route (dumplings, stir-fry) or the eastern European route (perogis or, well, something) or the generic American route (boiled! eww.), but I ended up deciding to make a Russian cabbage soup. One of the blogs I love to read is Sassy Radish, and given that she is originally from Russia, the recipe screams authentic (I hope). Except, of course, that I veganized it. (smile)

And soup calls for bread, right? That’s where Celine comes in (oh Celine, you are the best!). I picked up a little over a cup of rye flour in the bulk section or our coop to play with, so naturally, when I saw Celine’s recipe for Sauerkraut Rye Bread I knew I had to make it. Not being a big fan of rye, I had no idea how the flavor would turn out or if I would like it, but it was unbelievably delicious. Not too rye-ish and not too sauerkraut-ish. Just moist with a slight sweet tang. And, per usual, I gobbled up the bread before I finished off the soup. I’m such a carb whore… Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a good shot of the bread, so you’ll have to use your imagination. But just imagine a dark, sweet, tangy, moist bread sopping up a tangy tomato cabbage soup. It’s the mm mm good Campbell’s was going for but failed to achieve.

In a large stockpot, saute the garlic on low for a minute and then add the cabbage. Cook the cabbage, stirring frequently, until slightly wilted.

Add the stock and the water and then everything else, but potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Skim the fat and season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes.

Proof the yeast in the water for 10 minutes or so, until the yeast becomes bubbly and foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sauerkraut, molasses, suger, and salt. Mix in the proofed yeast.

Add the wheat gluten, rye flour, and whole wheat flour and mix with a spoon until a dough forms. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead in the remaining bread flour. You will need to knead for 5-10 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towl, and place in a warm corner of the kitchen for 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and transfer it to an oiled loaf pan. Cover again with the towl and place in a warm corner for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size again.

Once the dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 350.

Bake the loaf at 350 for 45-1 hour. You will know when the loaf is baked when you tap/knock your knuckles on the top of the loaf and it sounds hollow.

So funny that we both posted cabbage soups on the same day–! (Well, maybe not so funny, I guess, since it’s winter and cabbage soup would be typical, but my life is boring so I have to find other sources of excitement!). I love the sound of your bread, though–that Celine is one genius gal!

Celine does rock hard – and i’m going to have to try out her bread. i’m a huge fan of both rye & sauerkraut (and cabbage, actually. your whole post is full of my favorites!). soup does call for bread – and what a delicious combination, indeed!

I’m sure I’ll really appreciate it when I’m older. My mom used to get carded at 35 even though she had her children with her. She’s almost 60 now and still doesn’t have grey hair. Talk about the genetic lotto…

Thanks for the kudos. Your soup looks amazing! My grandpa is from Russia and used to make something really similar.

Gosh I love sauerkraut, could eat it all day long…I have been vegan for 2 years and I know sometimes I would kill for a rich russian food (I am Slavic myself) that is probably why my will broke along the way now after two years of crap diet, I am re-living my vegan journey again with my 21-day vegan challenge, as from what I was told, it takes three weeks to change one´s habits….

[…] found out by now that I love cooking with it from time-to-time. Sometimes I make soup, like a Russian Cabbage Soup or a Rustic Cabbage Soup. Other times, I use it in bread. Sometimes I just want a veggie pie to […]

[…] not be on the to-make list, and these aren’t revolutionary, they’re just Celine’s Sauerkraut Rye Bread that I made last February. But a newish bread recipe is always a good thing, right? By substituting […]